New Tech volleyball coach jumps right into process of making program one of ACC's best

Jill Lytle Wilson, the Hokies' new high-energy head coach, went to six NCAA Championships as an assistant at LSU and sees similar potential within the Hokies' volleyball program, as she starts a new era in Blacksburg

February 6, 2017

By Jimmy Robertson

BLACKSBURG – Some people take a methodical approach when starting a new job, preferring to ease into a role and being guarded when it comes to decision making.

But Jill Lytle Wilson is not such a person. She almost frowns upon easing, attacking every day as if the national championship hinged on it. Minutes into a conversation with this fast-talking extrovert from Texas left one feeling that sneakers and workout gear would have been more suitable attire.

The quick deduction? Virginia Tech’s new head volleyball coach may very well be the Red Bull of ACC coaches.

“I am high energy,” she laughed.

Three weeks ago, Tech AD Whit Babcock tabbed Wilson to take over the direction of the Hokies’ volleyball program. She replaced Chris Riley, who resigned in mid-December after 11 seasons at the helm. Riley guided the program to one NCAA tournament bid during his tenure.

Wilson arrived in Blacksburg after 10 seasons as an assistant at LSU, where she was a part of six NCAA tournament teams during that decade run. She also was a four-year starter at LSU during her playing career from 1997-2000 after a stellar prep career at her high school in Richmond, Texas, just outside of Houston.

In addition, Wilson served assistant stints at both North Carolina and Wake Forest, giving her some familiarity with Tech’s current conference home. She always expected to be a head coach at some point, and she received several calls from interested employers, but decided to be selective.

“If I’m going to look at something serious, I want to know that it’s going to be the right fit for me,” she said. “I pushed a lot of that aside until this year. When I got the call from the administration here, I was very excited. I thought it could be the right fit for me.

“When the opportunity came to talk to them, I was very intrigued to hear their vision for the volleyball program. I knew there was a lot of potential there. There is a really good core group to take that next step out of the middle of the pack. After an hour into the interview, I was falling in love with the place. There wasn’t anything that made me pause. It was the whole package of what fit for me and my husband, and professionally, I felt like I could help these girls take the next step.”

The decision marked the latest stop in an interesting career path. She graduated from LSU with a degree in business administration and contemplated going to law school. But after she concluded her eligibility in the fall of her senior season, she worked as a student volunteer in the volleyball staff’s offices that spring. That entailed handling some monotonous administrative work and serving as somewhat of a gopher for the coaches, but she loved it and wound up at Tennessee-Martin as a graduate assistant following her graduation that spring. From there, she went to North Carolina and Wake Forest before winding her way back to LSU.

“I had way too many amazing coaching mentors, and I kept going back to it,” Wilson said of the sport. “I kept going back to it. I never could quite stay away from the game. I loved it too much.”

WIlson inherits an interesting situation at Tech. The Hokies, who last went to the NCAA Championships in 2010, haven’t been great in volleyball, but they haven’t been bad either. They often found themselves muddling around .500 in league play. In fact, Tech finished somewhere between two games above .500 and two games below .500 in ACC action in nine of Riley’s 11 seasons.

Three seniors departed after this past season, including Lindsey Owens – one of the most talented players in school history – but there are some pieces. Jaila Tolbert, a rising junior, made the league’s all-rookie team, and Carol Raffety, a rising sophomore, set the Tech record for digs by a freshman. Rhegan Mitchell, a rising redshirt junior, gives the team a good anchor from her setter position.

Wilson came to Blacksburg immediately following the announcement of her hiring to begin preparations for next fall. She already has started offseason workouts and has scheduled lifting and training sessions throughout the spring. Each day is mapped out for her players over the next several months. She hired two assistant coaches within the first three weeks of her hiring as well.

“I didn’t want to waste any time,” Wilson said. “I wanted them [the players] to feel like we were on a mission, and we were together and on the same page. I didn’t want any lag time, so I got here as quick as I could, and it’s been great. They’re very open-minded right now. It’s a big change for them, just different styles. They have responded wonderfully. We’re starting to know each other and get comfortable, and I’m being able to get a grasp for them athletically and how I can help them. That will be a work in progress this spring.”

Wilson brings a unique perspective to coaching changes. She went through one as a player when the coach who recruited her departed after her freshman season. She played the final three seasons under current LSU coach Fran Flory.

Few coaches bring such a perspective.

“I really want them to be comfortable,” Wilson said. “I’ve had them in the office a bunch. I want them to be able to understand me and me understand them and how I can help them. If I don’t know what they’re trying to accomplish, I can’t help them get there. We’ve done a lot of interacting and getting to know each other.”

Wilson likes Tech’s core group of players, but also admitted that difference-makers were needed for the program to take the next step. That means using the spring and summer to add pieces, though probably not for the upcoming season.

Wilson is also well aware of the momentum of the Tech athletics department. The football and men’s soccer programs enjoyed postseason success. The wrestling, track and field and swimming and diving teams appear poised for nice postseason runs. Tech’s tennis teams and softball squad consistently make the NCAA Championships.

She wants the volleyball team to be a part of that – and feels there is no reason why the program can’t be.

“That’s been my message,” she said. “I told them, ‘There is a lot of momentum and a lot of talk about what is going on here and you couldn’t be here at a better time.’ They were real excited. I think they definitely feel it.”

The Hokies may very well be a work in progress – today. But with this particular new coach, expect that work to get done rather quickly.

For updates on Virginia Tech volleyball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_VBall and on Instagram @vthokievolleyball